Of Lies, Love and Laughter
by beyond-the-twilight
Summary: "She's done with being the one that everyone blames and she's done with being the one who gets pushed around. It's time for her to bite back" - Repeating History prize fills.
1. gleek06216

**A/N: So, I've decided to put all the prizes in one story, so you guys can add it to story alert and you'll be able to tell when more prizes are released. This one is for gleek06216, who requested a one-shot where Mike discovers that Rachel is in a harmful relationship/environment and he takes it upon himself to save her from it, and from herself. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee. **

* * *

><p>The thing is... he has a girlfriend. He's happy with Tina – he really is – and it's not like he's looking for an escape clause or seeing if there are any other options out there. That's just not how he operates.<p>

He _likes _being in a relationship.

Tina may only be his second girlfriend (and he's not sure if Brittany really counts as the first considering she was cheating on him with Santana) but he knows that he's not supposed to notice other girls. He can wave at them, or chat with them when Tina (or a third party) is around but anything more than that is forbidden, and he really doesn't mind that.

Or he didn't mind that, until Rachel walks into Glee one day wearing _jeans_. If that isn't a sign that the world has been turned upside down, he doesn't know what is. The really crazy thing is that no one else seems to notice. Finn's got his arm around Quinn and Puck's trying to hit on Lauren and no one else ever really pays attention to Rachel.

He's not ashamed to admit that he stares, and it wasn't in a leering sort of way like Tina believes. He was merely curious about why Rachel Berry was wearing jeans instead of one of those small skirts and knee socks that Puck is always commenting on.

When Tina elbows him and gives him the cold shoulder for the rest of Glee practice, he promises himself that he'll _never_ look at Rachel Berry again.

* * *

><p>Now that he's not allowed to look, he finds himself drawn more and more often to the little diva. Sure, he's looked at her before (who hasn't?) because her legs go on for miles and she can sing <em>and <em>dance really well and she looked amazing in those little red shorts she wore for their funk number, but now it's like a hobby.

He can't stop looking at Rachel.

It's not always in that wow, she's gorgeous way. Sometimes he wonders why her make-up looks extra heavy that day or why she winces a little bit when they're doing choreography. Sometimes he finds himself asking Finn or Puck if anything is going on with her, and he always finds himself frowning when neither of them have any insight, despite the fact that Finn supposedly loves her, and Puck calls himself her best friend.

She's a mystery and that's what makes her so enthralling.

(It's odd because Rachel had never been a mystery before).

* * *

><p>It's a Thursday and Tina's sick but he still goes to Glee rehearsal instead of skipping and bringing her soup. Mr. Schue decides that they should take a ten minute break and Rachel leaves as soon as the words have left his mouth.<p>

Without thinking, he makes his way over to Rachel's bag, and unzips the front pocket. He doesn't know what he's looking for but when he sees her phone, he can't help but pull it out and flip it open. Within seconds, he's scrolling through her inbox and frowning when he sees that over eighty percent of her messages are from a guy that he's never heard of.

_Luke_.

Rachel walks back into the room before he gets a chance to read any of the messages and her eyes narrow when she sees what he's holding. Instead of making a big show like the old Rachel Berry would have, she walks over to him, snatches the phone out of his hand and shoves it into her pocket.

"Whose Luke?" he asks, his voice low, understanding that Rachel wants to keep it quiet for some reason.

"He's my boyfriend", she replies, her eyes trained on the floor (he must be imagining the tears in her eyes because Rachel never, _ever _cries real tears, especially not over boys, and especially not in front of people).

"No, seriously, who's this Luke guy?"

"He's my boyfriend. I met him at the dance studio one day when he came to pick up his little sister and the rest is history", she responds, her voice monotone.

"How come none of us knew you had a boyfriend? You always broadcast everything!" he exclaims.

"I didn't feel like making a big show of it. He's in college and doesn't want to meet any of my high school friends anyway, so I didn't see the point of talking about it... and why do you suddenly seem like the Rachel Berry expert?" she asks, her tone doubting his credibility.

He mumbles something that sounds suspiciously like 'I care' before clearing his throat and looking away. "How long have you been going out with this Luke guy?"

"Two and a half months"

Two and a half months ago, Rachel walked into Glee wearing jeans. That can't be a coincidence.

* * *

><p>Over the next two weeks, he watches Rachel more and more. He just <em>knows <em>that something is wrong but he has no idea what it is. He's always been a master observer but his skills are failing him this time and it's driving him insane.

He cancels dates with Tina to stalk Rachel and her new boyfriend, and spends the weekends hanging around with Puck, drilling him for information, or loitering around Rachel's dance studio.

Puck doesn't even know that Rachel has a new boyfriend, and no matter how much time he spends at the dance studio, he never sees Rachel. All that happens is Tina gets more and more annoyed, until she eventually explodes outside Glee practice.

"Michael Chang, I have no idea what you're playing at but you better stop it right now", she screeches, "I'm your girlfriend, not _Rachel_, so you better start remembering that or we're finished"

It probably wasn't the best time to ask if she had Rachel's mobile number because he was getting really worried.

"Ask her yourself because we're finished Mike", she growls before storming into the choir room and ignoring him for the entire hour and a half. He probably should be more upset but he can't see anything but the bluey-purple mark on Rachel's side, just visible in the gap between her jumper and jeans.

He can't believe it took him so long to put the pieces together.

* * *

><p>"Rachel, we need to talk", he whispers after glee is over, ignoring the glare Tina sends his way on her way out.<p>

"No, we don't. If you want to win Tina back, you have to stop talking to me, Mike", she says softly. "I don't need another person hating me", she adds under her breath.

"I don't care about that right now. I need to get to the bottom of this", he informs her before pulling her jumper up to reveal the mass of bruises on her stomach. "How long has this been going on, Rach?"

"These are just dance injuries Michael. Dancing can be very tough on the body"

"Rachel, I'm here to help. You just have to let me", he pleads, his eyes still focused on the bruises.

"While very flattering, I don't need help. Whatever conclusions you have jumped to are wrong, as these are just dancing injuries", she repeats, her eyes focused on the wall over his shoulder. "Now, I must be heading off"

"I'll walk you to the car park", he offers, grabbing her bag and ignoring her protests. His heart sinks when she snatches the bag off of him as soon as they are out of the school and he's forced to watch her walk over to the truck containing a man who he's certain is her abusive college boyfriend.

Sighing, he makes his way back inside to grab his own bag. His back turned, he doesn't see Rachel's face fall as her boyfriend starts yelling at her as he tears out of the car park.

* * *

><p>Even though Rachel doesn't want help, he's determined to give it to her. His mum used to work at a hospital and she told him that many women aren't strong enough to get themselves out of an abusive relationship and that they often need someone to save them.<p>

He wants to be that person.

He doesn't care that everyone in Glee must think that he's a stalker, and he can't bring himself to care that Tina isn't speaking to him and has officially declared him another one of her ex-boyfriends, because whenever he closes his eyes, all he can see is Rachel's bruised stomach, and her sad, sad eyes.

He tries researching ways to help people in an abusive relationship but he can't find anything that will help him with Rachel. He tries talking to Puck, dropping hint after hint, in the hopes that Puck will connect the pieces and realize some jerk is hurting his best friend. He tries setting up situations so that the other Glee club members will walk in on Rachel stretching or groaning, and see her bruises.

He fails again and again. Puck remains oblivious and the Glee clubbers stop reading his text messages ordering them to go to the choir room immediately after nothing interesting happens the first five times.

Rachel's avoiding him on top of everything else and it's driving him insane because he needs to know that she's okay. He needs to know that _Luke _hasn't snapped and introduced her to a whole world of pain.

He needs to know that she's still breathing, and he can't do that if he never sees her at school. He just needs to know that she's alive.

* * *

><p>She misses a Glee rehearsal. Rachel Berry <em>never <em>misses Glee, no matter what happens in her personal life. That's just another sign that something is wrong.

"Tina, I know you hate me know but we were together for a long time and I need you to believe what I say next... Rachel is in trouble. Big, big trouble and she needs our help. I wasn't staring at her because I wanted to see what else was out there, and I wasn't obsessed with her because I thought she would be the perfect girlfriend. She's in trouble, T, and we have to help her", he whispers frantically in his ex-girlfriends ear when Rachel doesn't show up to Glee rehearsal one afternoon.

"Mike, please. Just stop this. Rachel isn't in trouble. She's not at practice because she has a doctor's appointment. She e-mailed Mr. Schue and told him so that he wouldn't be surprised when she didn't show up today", Tina says softly, her eyes looking at him with pity. "Why don't you just ask her out? It's obvious you like her... everyone knows"

"She has a boyfriend"

"No way... if Rachel had a boyfriend, we'd all know about it. She would show him off like he was god's gift to the world and she wouldn't stop singing all these loved up songs", Tina reminds him.

"Now do you see that something's wrong?"

"Maybe Rachel's just grown up", Tina replies, but he can tell that she's thinking about it now, remembering all the changes Rachel's made recently.

She doesn't know it yet but he's finally recruited someone else to the 'Save Rachel Berry' cause.

* * *

><p>She's at the next rehearsal, but her make-up is heavy and her eyes just scream that she's exhausted. No one even mentions the fact that she wasn't there for the last session, let alone ask her how her doctor's appointment went.<p>

"How did your appointment go?" he whispers in her ear as she sits down next to him.

"What appointment?" she whispers back, her eyes startled.

"You weren't at Glee on Tuesday... Tina said you were going to visit the doctor. How did it go?"

"Oh... It went okay", she responds, but he can tell that she's hiding something. Her eyes keep avoiding his and he swears he can see a tear burn its way down her cheek.

* * *

><p>They're practicing a dance routine in the auditorium, and she misses a step and trips over own feet, wincing as she hits the stage. The rest of them grind to a halt, unsure about what to do next. Rachel never misses a step, and she definitely doesn't fall over.<p>

He rushes to her side and Tina follows him, only a pace behind.

"Rach, you okay?" he whispers softly, his hands gently touching her wrists and ankles to make sure that there aren't any breaks. She doesn't get a chance to respond before a furious looking Quinn and a half-concerned, half-angry Santana start yelling.

"Mr. Schue, this is just getting ridiculous. We already have Finn as a lead despite the fact that he can't dance, we can't have Rachel on lead if she can't freaking dance anymore", Santana growls, her eyes narrowing at the thought of them losing at competitions yet again.

"Yeah Mr. Schue... to win this competition, we need decent choreography and what we have now isn't going to cut it", Quinn joins in, her tone leaving no room for argument.

"Guys, we'll talk about this later", Mr. Schue says warningly, "right now we have to see if Rachel is okay"

She clearly isn't. She's fighting back tears from her spot on the floor, trying desperately not to cry as she's surrounded by all of the glee club, minus Santana, Quinn and Mr. Schue. "What happened Rachel?" Mr. Schue calls as he makes his way onto the stage.

"I'm just tired. Dance rehearsals last night were really tiring and I guess I wasn't paying enough attention and missed a step"

"That's not true Rachel, so stop lying. You haven't been to the dance studio in months", he explodes from his spot next to her, ignoring her pleading looks and Tina's warning glare. "I'm tired of hiding this from everyone and going insane with worry because you won't answer my calls or text messages. I'm tired of being terrified that one day you won't make it to school because you're lying alone somewhere, unable to call for help".

"Michael, please", Rachel whispers, as Tina hisses out a warning for him to stop talking.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Puck growls from his place next to Rachel's head. "You're making no freaking sense Chang"

Without saying anything, he slowly pulls Rachel's shirt up as Tina leans forward to wipe at some of Rachel's make-up, revealing bruises around her eyes and cheeks. "Do you want to explain Rachel, or should I?" he asks, his voice cold.

She doesn't say anything, and neither does the rest of the group who are staring at Rachel's stomach in horrified silence.

"Rachel has this college boyfriend Luke who seems to enjoy taking his frustrations out on her", he explains, before looking around at the rest of the group to take in their reactions.

Brittany's crying in Santana's arms, and Santana looks like she's ready to murder someone, while Artie just looks shocked over what's happening, and curious over why Brittany is in Santana's arms instead of his. Quinn's eyes are wet and her hands are clenched into fists, while Finn looks confused, like he doesn't understand how this could possibly be happening. _Puck's _crying, large, fat tears rolling down his cheeks while Lauren pats him awkwardly on the back in an attempt to comfort him. The rest of the club are either crying or looking speechless, like they can't believe this is happening to _Rachel. _

"I don't need your pity... none of you were ever there for me before and I definitely don't you need you now. You don't deserve to feel bad now because this has been going on for a long time, and none of you ever gave a damn before now", she screams, her eyes wide as she shakily gets to her feet and yanks down her shirt.

Brittany tries to reach out for her, but she yanks her hand away and storms out of the auditorium. Santana doesn't even attempt to berate her for being mean to Brittany, which shows just how serious the situation is.

Where do they go from here?

* * *

><p>He texts her multiple times, asking relentlessly if she's okay, or if she needs him to come and pick her up. He tells her that Puck and Santana are planning on tracking down this Luke guy and beating him into the ground so he knows what it feels like, but even that doesn't get a response.<p>

She misses the next four glee rehearsals and none of them have seen her in over two weeks, ever since that day in the auditorium.

Santana reports that she wasn't in any of their joint classes, and Quinn, Artie, Tina and Kurt all confirm that she wasn't present in any of their joint classes either. Ms. Pillsbury comes into all the Glee rehearsals and sits in the corner watching them. They have no idea what she's looking for and none of them dare to ask.

Mr. Schue stops the insane amount of rehearsals they were having for Nationals and he shakily explains that all these rehearsals were Rachel's ideas and that it makes no sense to rehearse the set-list without the female lead. They all read between the lines and realize that it doesn't feel right to practice without Rachel.

The next time Rachel misses practice, Mr. Schue announces that they have to pick a new set-list and new people to sing the leads because they can't waste anymore time. "It's what Rachel would want", he says softly, and that's when the madness erupts.

"Stop talking about her like she's dead", Brittany screeches. "She's not dead", she adds, her eyes wild. Instead of calming her down, Santana joins in, yelling in Spanish and gesturing fiercely. Quinn, of all people, stands up next. "We may have been too stupid to notice but now we know what's happening, there's no way in hell we're taking something else away from Rachel"

"But... national's guys! We've been training for this for months" Mr Schue reminds them.

"No... Rachel's been training for this. We've shown up for half the rehearsals but she's been here for every single one. God, I know for a fact that she showed up to summer training sessions that you weren't even there for Mr. Schue", Puck adds. "I don't know about you guys but I'm not going to New York without Rachel. New York is Rachel's dream and there's no way I'm going without her"

There are nods of agreement around the room, and the rest of Glee practice is silent as everyone thinks about their missing captain and just how much they had neglected her over the years.

(As he goes to walk out of rehearsals, Mr. Schue pulls him to the side and practically begs him to get Rachel back. He doesn't know when he became the one who was accountable for Rachel but he doesn't care).

* * *

><p>He goes to Rachel's house straight after school that day because he can't live with the unknown anymore. A tall guy with black hair opens the door and glares at him.<p>

"What do you want?" he growls, his voice menacing.

"I'm looking for Rachel Berry... we're in Glee club together", he answers, his voice polite. He doesn't want to give this guy any reason to hurt him. "You must be Luke"

"How do you know who I am?"

"Rachel talks about you all the time. She's always rambling about how much of an amazing boyfriend you are and how you make her feel so loved", he says sarcastically.

"Whatever Rachel told you is a lie", Luke states, his tone cocky and confident.

"She didn't tell me anything. I discovered it by myself, and now I'm here to get Rachel and take her the hell away from you"

"How about we let Rachel decide?" he offers, his eyes narrowing as he calls for his girlfriend who obediently comes jogging to the door.

"Michael!", she says breathlessly, her eyes shocked. "What are you doing here?"

"He thinks that he's rescuing you Rachel. Why don't you tell him that you don't need rescuing? After all, you're happy... right?" he says threateningly.

"I don't know what you think you know Michael, but I assure you that you are wrong. I do not need rescuing, especially not from Luke. We're extremely happy together, I can promise you that" Rachel says softly, her eyes begging him to understand.

"See? She's fine, and I don't appreciate you barging in and interrupting our alone time, so I suggest you get out of here now before I lose my patience", Luke hisses as he takes a step outside.

"Well Rachel, you know my number if you want to call me. I'll always be there if you need me" he says softly before turning and walking away.

(He breaks down completely as he climbs into his car, knowing that he's just made everything a million times worse for Rachel).

* * *

><p>He doesn't sleep that night, instead choosing to lie on the couch and watch TV. His parents aren't home and Rachel hasn't answered any of his texts, and he's never hated himself more.<p>

There's a soft knock on his door at around 1am and he _knows _its Rachel. No one has ever been to his house before unless it was for a video game marathon, and no one has ever had the need to knock on his door at 1am.

What he's not expecting is the state that Rachel's in.

He opens the door and she practically falls into his arms. She doesn't have any make-up on and some of her clothes are torn, and the bruises are obvious. Her lip is bleeding and her hair is wild and there are new bruises erupting all over her face.

"Rach... what the hell happened?"

"He went crazy after you left. He accused me of sleeping with you and wouldn't listen when I said we were merely friends. I tried to defend myself but that just made it worse and when I told him that I couldn't be with him anymore, he pushed me into the glass coffee table and told me that he didn't care that we were done because I was just a slut and the only reason he was with me in the first place was because he felt sorry for me. He stormed out and left me on the floor and you were the only person I could think of turning too", she whispers, tears rolling down her cheeks and sobs threatening to choke her.

"Shhh... it's going to be okay, Rach. I'm going to call Puck because his mum is a nurse and she can come over and get all of this glass out of you. I know you won't want to go to the hospital so this is the only option", he says quietly, his hands gently stroking away the tears.

She just nods, and rests her head on his shoulder, her body shaking.

"I'm sorry that I made it worse Rach. I just needed to help you. I didn't think that it would get worse... I just thought that you'd come with me and that you'd be safe"

"Don't be sorry", she whispers, "you trying to save me is what finally gave me the courage to leave"

* * *

><p>Of course, Puck isn't the only one who shows up. He arrives with his mum, who quickly sets to work cleaning up Rachel, and Santana, Quinn, Brittany, Kurt, Finn and Tina all trail in behind him.<p>

"Yeah, I called them Rach. They were going crazy worrying about you and they ordered me to call them if I ever heard any news about you, so when Mike called, I _had _to call them, or they would have..."

"Cut your balls off the next time we saw you", Santana finishes sweetly, her voice dripping with faux innocence.

They sit quietly while Rachel gets cleaned up, Puck holding one of her hands while he holds the other.

"Thanks Chang", Puck says softly when Rachel finally drifts off to sleep the moment Mrs. Puckerman has finished pulling glass out of her body. "I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't noticed, so thanks. She's my best friend, you know, and even though I was so caught up in other things, it doesn't mean I care about her any less"

They all leave at about 4am and he's left with a sleeping Rachel. Watching her chest rise and fall steadily as she sleeps finally allows him to get some rest.

* * *

><p>She's up early the next morning, bustling around the kitchen making breakfast. Her hair is still a mess, her bruises are on show and there's still blood on her clothes from the millions of little cuts she received courtesy of the glass coffee table.<p>

"Rach... you have to tell me how this started", he says softly as he sits down on a stool in the kitchen, watching as she prepares coffee and croissants.

"Well, I met Luke at the dance studio when he was picking up his sister. He asked me for my number and I gave it to him because I felt like I was finally ready to move on from Finn. He courted me, texting me good morning and good night every day until he asked me to be his girlfriend. I said yes, and that's when everything changed"

He doesn't say anything, instead sipping at the coffee she places in front of him and picking at the croissant, no longer hungry.

"He didn't like it when I wore skirts because he didn't like other guys staring at my legs, so I started wearing jeans. He found out that I hadn't thrown away my skirts like he'd asked and he hit me. He apologised afterwards and I forgave him, and we threw away the skirts together but it got worse. He saw me talking to Puck when he came to pick me up from Temple and you in the school car park, and he saw how I danced with other guys at dance class, and he hit me for all of those things. He banned me from talking to other guys and forced me to quit dancing because he didn't like the way those other guys looked at me, and it just kept spiralling out from there"

"Rachel, this isn't you. You aren't that girl who lets a boy take pieces of her, and you definitely aren't the girl that lets a boy hit you and get away with it"

"He said he loved me", she sobs. "He said that I was his whole world and that he didn't know what he would do without me in his life. All I wanted was for someone to love me, and he said that he did"

"Rach, he isn't the only one who loves you. All of Glee loves you. They've been going crazy because you haven't shown up to rehearsals... they even refused to create a new set-list, and they refused to go to Nationals without you"

"They did?"

"They did", he reassures her. "Now, how about you go and get showered and we'll spend the rest of the weekend watching crappy romantic comedies?"

"It sounds perfect", she whispers back, a small smile stretching across her face.

* * *

><p>She comes back to school on a Tuesday after the majority of her bruises and cuts have healed over. It's a week after Nationals, and they placed twelfth after she reassured them that they should go to Nationals without her because they'd all worked so hard for it.<p>

When she walks into the choir room, the entire room falls silent.

The newly single Puck (who decided that chasing after Lauren was causing him to miss _way _too many things) is the first to embrace her in a hug, his arms circling her waist and squeezing with all his might.

Brittany's next, running to the brunette and gently wrapping her arms around her, and Santana prises her away to have her turn, which is cut short as Quinn claims the brunette as her own. Artie pulls her onto his lap and places a kiss on her cheek before Mercedes and Kurt pull her up into a three-way hug. Tina pats her gently on the back and whispers that she's a really good listener. Finn stands awkwardly, and tells Rachel that he's glad she's back, and Mr. Schue beams a bright, brilliant smile as his star walks back into the room.

She takes the seat next to Mike, reaching for his hand instinctively. "You okay, Rach?"

"It's a little overwhelming but I'm fine. I have counselling appointments set up with Ms. Pillsbury and my dad's are furious with me for not telling them, and furious with themselves for not noticing, but I'll be okay. Eventually... I'll be okay"

"I'm glad", he whispers as he squeezes her hand, "I was really, really worried"

"Thank you Mike"

"What for?"

She just smiles a secretive little smile and squeezes back. "Just thank you"


	2. BridgetLynn

**A/N: A prompt fill for BridgetLynn who requested a 10 year reunion with a Puckleberry relationship, with details on how they reunited, how everyone reacts, who they're still close to etc. **

**Told from Santana's POV because I love her and it managed to incorportate every bit of information needed. **

* * *

><p>It's been ten years and she was kind of hoping that she'd never have to set foot in McKinley High School again. Sure, she had some great times there, but she also had some awful ones, and she kind of liked feeling as if New York was her home. She liked the way she could walk down a street without people judging her for the mistakes she had made in the past, and she liked the way no one immediately thought she was a loser.<p>

She liked the way that New York was _hers _and that she didn't have to share it with the memories she had of torturing people who were even slightly different, and the memory of that pain in her chest when she realized she was different herself.

So, yeah, she's not really pumped for the 10 year reunion, and her patience grows thinner when she's stuck waiting for Rachel to get ready for her grand entrance. She can only imagine how annoyed Puck is getting, standing at the bar by himself so that he doesn't draw any attention away from Rachel. She understands that Rachel wants people to notice her when she walks in, and she knows that this is harder for Rachel that it is for anyone else, but she really just wishes that Puck was walking Rach in because she was more than ready to get drunk and laugh at some of the embarrassing crap going on in the main room.

Seriously, this whole ten year reunion thing is stupid. She doesn't want to stand and play nice with people that she left behind a long time ago (aka all of them, except Britt, Rach and Puck) and she definitely doesn't want them to all rip into Rachel like they used to because while she didn't defend her back then (in fact, she threw most of the punches), Rachel's her best friend _and _Puck's wife now and if anyone upsets her, both she and Puck will have to start throwing punches.

When she finally walks in with Rachel and Brittany, she smirks a little at the jaws that drop around the room, because yeah, Rachel's hot as hell, and yeah, she just walked in holding hands with Brittany. God, everyone in this room is just as dense as ever because if they didn't notice Rach was freaking gorgeous after four years of high school, they had to be blind, and if they didn't notice that Britt was more than just a friend, they had to be as dumb as Finn.

She can tell by the looks on the faces of the Glee kids that they're shocked as hell, and man, this night just got more interesting.

* * *

><p>Rachel forced them all to rehearse how they'd break the news to the Glee club and although she thought she was crazy as hell for practicing how to talk to people, she went along with it, because Crazy Berry was always hilarious to watch, and according to Puck, it always ended up with him peeling the clothes off of her, and she was more than happy to play pimp to her two best friends.<p>

Puck saunters over and takes a seat next to Rachel at the Glee table as soon as they've sat down, and she can see his eyes sparkling at the thought of the show that's just about to unfold.

"Looking good babe", he teases Rachel, his voice just loud enough for the Glee table to hear.

"Jesus Puck, you haven't changed a bit", she says coldly from her place on the other side of Rachel, biting her lip to stop from laughing at her part of the play. "She's married now, can't you see the ring?"

The group gasps and Kurt leans forward to gaze at Rachel's ring, his eyes all glazed over. Puck tries not to act too smug as everyone admires the ring (but fails because he picked it and he's always been a smug douche) because he and Rach are supposed to be pretending that they didn't come together to "create optimal drama" (her words, not his).

"Tell us all about this mystery guy!" Kurt begs, and Mercedes nods in agreement, so clearly the two of them are as close as ever.

Rach doesn't get a chance to open her mouth before Brittany cuts in. "Who cares about Rachel's husband? San and I already know that story... it's kind of boring really. Who wants to hear about how we got married?" the blonde squeals as she practically bounces in her seat.

"You two are married?" Finn asks from his spot next to Quinn, his mouth falling open in shock. "How is that possible? Santana... you aren't gay. We had sex, remember?"

"While I would like to blame my sexual orientation on your disappointing performance, I'm afraid I can't. Britt's my soul mate... it's as simple as that", she explains, her tone alternating between harsh as she insults Finn and soft as she talks about her fiancée. "And that's all we're going to say on the matter", she adds, her tone suddenly fierce.

She glares at Puck, who seems to think this is an appropriate time to chuckle, and squeezes Brittany's hand under the table to remind her that she loves her. She smiles a little at the affectionate look Rachel has on her face, because yeah, Berry's her best friend. It was awkward as hell when Puck first started dating Rachel because she doesn't _share _but now it feels like family.

"How about you douches tell us what you've been up to?" she asks, attempting to deflect the attention away from Rachel, knowing that she'll want to share her news last.

She'd forgotten how self-centred these people were but she's quickly reminded as they practically fall over themselves to start sharing their stories. Within half an hour, she's found out what everyone's up to, and although she pretends that it's boring her to death, some of their stories are kind of interesting.

Finn and Quinn are married (no surprise there) and have a four year old daughter at home. Quinn's still a controlling bitch – she refuses to let Finn tell any of the story – but she seems a bit more open now, and even she admits that she clearly loves her daughter.

Kurt and Blaine broke up a couple of years after high school because Blaine went to England for a holiday and then decided to move there. Kurt's working for some major fashion designer, and she bites back a smirk at the fact that Kurt hasn't achieved his dream of owning his own major fashion line, or his other dream of living in New York (guy lives in Los Angeles and is still single).

Mercedes lives in LA too and she's looking skinnier than ever before, with her hair cut into a "fierce" bob (which actually looks kind of decent) and it looks like the LA lifestyle is suiting her. She's dating regularly, but hasn't found her "Mr. Right", although that hasn't stopped her from opening her own catering business.

Sam's still in Ohio, but he's made a living out of producing comic books so it's not too shabby. He's got his own house (yeah, he's making a _lot _of money right now) and he's got a smoking girlfriend (and shows the pictures to prove it) but she couldn't make it tonight because she was on call. Yeah, Sam Evan is making comic books and dating a nurse. Trouty Mouth has got it good.

Tina and Mike are married (again, no surprise) and they live about an hour away from McKinley. Mike teaches dance and Tina owns a small boutique, although she's looking for someone to take over the shop for a while because she's three months pregnant with their first child.

Matt still lives in Miami and it's kind of weird seeing him after all these years, but the guy talks about his restaurant and how he's planning on opening up one in Los Angeles (she's fairly sure Mercedes is staring at him with a little more than friendship on her mind) and she remembers that this guy used to be one of her best friends, and yeah, she's kind of missed him.

Artie still lives at home but he manages this successful local band that are just about to release their debut album and he's hoping to put together a nation-wide concert tour if the sales will allow it. It's kind of sad and she can tell that Brittany is upset too, because when she was with the guy, he had all these dreams and stuff, but now he's more than happy to stay at home and cruise through life.

Lauren's busy with some wrestling event but she sent a message with Sam because apparently she's friends with Sam's girlfriend, and its twelve different kinds of weird. She got a scholarship to college for her wrestling but decided not to go, instead breaking into the professional wrestling circuit within two years. Now she travels around the country and she's undefeated in her league, but she has no respect for the girl because she still thinks she's a bitch who treated Puckerman like crap.

She can see Puck tune out when Brittany start talking and she gets it because he knows their story already and god, if she was in his shoes, she wouldn't feel like hearing it again. She likes the way everyone looks sad and hopeful at their story because damn, it took a long time for them to get where they are now and it meant a hell of a lot to her. She and Britt had a sad, teary goodbye in Lima because Britt was going to OSU and she was heading to NYU and they both thought their long-distance relationship would fail because they'd never get to see each other again. They used to write letters and e-mail each other all the time, and on Saturday nights, she refused to go out so that she could speak to Britt on the phone. Then, sometime in their second year, there's a knock on the door and Rach answers it because she _always _answers the door, and Britt's standing there with her bags because she'd somehow managed to transfer. They've been together ever since and she can't remember ever being happier. She knows that Britt is her forever.

Then Mr. Schue starts rambling about he and Ms. Pillsbury are married, and then he rambles on about Glee club and how he's so proud of them for being part of it, and for doing such amazing things after high school, and then he starts talking about how he misses them and how these new kids are just not the same, and oh god, is that a tear rolling down his cheek?

So, she's not down with the crying so she starts talking just so Mr. Schue will shut up. Sure, the guy is cool for a teacher (she can still remember Mr. Schue driving to pick her up after she got in trouble at a party) but he's way too emotional and it can get kind of scary.

"Berry's turn", she interrupts cheerfully. She ignores the glare Rachel sends in her direction and smiles a little, curious at the way she's going to tell this story.

"I married Noah", she says simply and leans back in her chair to watch the reactions.

* * *

><p>Glee club doesn't disappoint. They're still as nosy as ever and way too wrapped up in everyone else's business. What does disappoint her is the fact that they're still as shallow and immature as ever, and they still seem willing to hurt Rachel, or just dumb enough to not realize that they're doing it.<p>

Quinn looks shocked, while Finn actually laughs until he realizes that everyone else is silent. "Wait... you guys are serious? You actually married _Puck?_" he asks, his tone full of distaste. As soon as the words are out of his mouth, the rest of the group erupts.

"Did you blackmail him into marrying you?" Quinn asks, her eyes narrowing as she realizes that Rachel has won over her yet again.

"Rach, you said you were done with Lima losers. Why the hell did you marry Puck?" Kurt asks, his voice incredulous as he takes in the wedding ring on Rachel's finger and the just visible one on Puck's, as if checking to see if they match.

The hurtful words keep pouring out and she can tell that Rachel's near tears. Her head is bowed and her eyes are avoiding everyone on the table, and she's never felt so _angry_. She glares at all of them, silently ordering them to shut up, but none of them get the message. The only ones that are silent are Matt, Mike, Artie and Sam, and she makes a mental note to give them Puck's number and e-mail address before they leave so they can stay in contact (even if he denies it, Puck misses his high school friends a little).

Before Puck has a chance to say anything to comfort Rachel, she's standing and performing an epic diva storm-out, and he runs after her, leaving the rest of them behind to argue over their marriage.

* * *

><p>"Okay, that's enough!" she screams and everyone immediately falls silent and looks at her. "Rach and Puck weren't looking forward to coming here tonight and all of you just helped prove that all their fears were right because you guys are still the same jerks you were in high school. You haven't grown up at all".<p>

"We have the right to be a little surprised", Kurt defends the group, his cheeks flushed.

"Surprised, yes. Complete and utter douches, no. Now, I'll cut you guys a break and let you ask all of those questions that are fluttering around your otherwise empty heads so that when Rachel and Puck come back in here, you can at least pretend to be happy for them"

They're silent for a second, as if unsure whether she's serious. "Go", she barks to reassure them, her eyes narrowing.

"Rachel said she couldn't be with anyone from Lima because she was destined for New York. What happened to that?" Finn asks, his face confused.

"Oh, we're still on that, are we Finnessa? Rachel said that she couldn't be with anyone who holds her back and that was you, you idiot. Puck was in New York, not Lima, and he was actually willing to make an effort to be the guy she needed. Next question?"

"How did she and Puck meet again? Rachel was going to NYU the last I heard and Puck wasn't going to university at all", Quinn says softly, her eyes focused on the table.

"Some guy in Rachel's music class rented out a room in his apartment and he introduced us all, not realizing we'd met each other before"

"So, they've been going out since the second year of university?" Kurt asks, and she can almost see his brain trying to fit all of the pieces together.

"God no... It took Puck a _long _time to man up and ask Rachel out. They were friends for all of Rachel's time at NYU and she even helped him decide that he wanted to write lyrics for a living, but he didn't ask her out until her first year out of university"

"What the hell took him so long?" Matt asks from his spot across from her at the table and she has to bite back a chuckle. She'd almost forgotten how much fun Matt could be when he opened his mouth.

"You know Puck... he never thinks he's good enough, and he's always doubting himself. Britt here had to give him the final push, telling him that if he didn't ask Rach out soon she'd probably start looking elsewhere for someone to love her"

The table chuckles as Brittany ducks her hand, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. "My girl may not be the most intellectual of the lot, but she's the _wisest _person I've ever known", she boasts, smiling a little at the shy look Britt gives her in response. "Any other questions?"

The table literally erupts with questions: is Puck a songwriter now? Is Rachel on Broadway? How long have they been married? How did Puck propose? Have they got any kids? How are you and Rachel friends?

"Whoa, easy", she teases. "Puck is indeed a songwriter now. He's actually got a number of major clients and he's well on the way to becoming a rising star. He's racking in a lot of money now", she adds, and sends a meaningful glare in Quinn's director, berating her for throwing away what could have been the best part of her life. "Rachel isn't on Broadway, actually. She writes musical scores for movies and has actually just scored a record contract for three albums, so I'm sure you'll be seeing her face on magazines everywhere. She's a little freaked out about the fame that she'll receive, but she has the best lawyer in the world to protect her", she explains. "After all Santana Lopez is the best of the best"

She pauses for a second to let Brittany giggle and to allow their old friends to absorb all the information.

"Okay... so I think the next question was how long they have been married for. Well, we got out of high school ten years ago, he asked her out five years ago, they got engaged two years after that... they've been married for two years now", she declares, proud of her friends and their relationship. "And Puck didn't really get a chance to propose... he had the engagement ring in his top drawer and Rachel found it and just threw herself at him and said yes. No, they don't have kids, not yet anyway, but Britt and I have called godparents, so keep your grubby hands away from the Puckleberry babies"

"Puckleberry babies are going to be the absolute best", Brittany chimes in. "Although the Brittana babies might be a bit better because they'll have Santana to teach them to be all tough and me to teach them how to dance"

"And to answer your final question, Rachel and I were put in a dorm room together by chance at our first year at NYU and I realized that she wasn't all that bad. When Brittany moved to New York, we all got an apartment together, and when she and Puck decided to move in together, we all decided to find a really nice apartment so that we could still live together. To be honest though, Rachel's not just my friend. She's more than that. She became my rock when I was missing Britt so much, and she used to bring me coffee and donuts on Sunday mornings because I'd been up late talking to Brittany the night before. She knows my favourite movies and my favourite colours and the foods I like to eat when I'm sick and the foods I absolutely cannot stand. She knows me almost as well as I know myself, and she's the best friend I could have ever asked for, just like Brittany is the best fiancée I could have ever asked for. I literally don't know how I would live without her"

She takes in everyone staring at her around the table, and she realizes that most of them will never, ever change and she's so glad she left them all behind – that the four of them managed to get out and make something of themselves. Rachel's on the way to becoming famous, Puck's about to become a major success, Brittany is a renowned choreographer and she's a lawyer. They got out and made something of themselves and that's more than she can say for this little group.

Kurt and Mercedes are still those bitches who will destroy anyone who gets in their way; Quinn is still uptight and controlling; Finn is still dumb as hell; Mr. Schue is still over-emotional and hypocritical; Ms. Pillsbury is still verging on certifiably insane; Tina is still that shy chick who daren't say anything unless someone else is supporting her... this group of people will always be the same, no matter how far they move across the country and no matter how many wrinkles appear on their foreheads.

They're the group who had dreams big enough to conquer the world, but none of them managed to achieve their dreams, and most of them are bitter and insecure about it, and still so willing to tear apart someone else just to make themselves feel better, and just like ten years ago, they're still picking on Rachel because she achieved her dreams.

She's done with them.

"Come on Britt, we're going", she says to her fiancée. "I hope you guys all have nice lives", she growls before turning and walking out of McKinley High.

She's done with this place forever.

* * *

><p>They're sitting in the airport that night, waiting to catch the next flight home, and she finds herself looking around. There are a lot of people in the airport and each of them has their own story, and she can't help but wonder what it is.<p>

Did that man over there get a girl pregnant at 16, just like Puck did? Did he cry and scream and steal an ATM because he didn't know how to deal with it? Did that woman over there by the departure gate take mean whispers and hateful glares, just like Rachel did? Did she have dreams that were bigger than anyone else could handle, and was she tortured because of them? Did that woman by the vending machine break a disabled boy's heart, like Brittany did? Did she leave him behind and move on for bigger and better things because she deserved it? Did that woman over there by the drink fountain bully other people, just like she did? Did she push other people around and pick relentlessly at their faults so that they wouldn't see her own?

There are thousands of people in this airport and any one of them could have a similar story. They could share the same nose, or have the same smirk or that same glittery look in their eyes when they feel mischievous.

There are thousands of people in this airport and billions of people in the world, yet she had the privilege of meeting the three people sitting next to her. She got to meet herself in male form, and her twin, and her soul-mate. Out of everyone in the entire universe, these three people became their family.

"Hey Rach", she hears Puck whisper softly as soon as Brittany leaves to go to get some drinks. "I know those people hurt you but you managed to ignore them back then and you just need to ignore them now. You have Brittany and Santana, and you have me, and I love you more than anything"

"I just thought they'd finally be happy for me", she whispers, her voice breaking with emotion.

"You don't need them to be happy for you Rach. You've survived this long without their approval and you can last that much longer without it. Soon the whole world is going to love you and you aren't going to be thinking about those douches in Lima who didn't appreciate you while you were still there"

She tunes out of the conversation to give them the privacy that they deserve and settles back in her seat to wait for their flight to be called. There are billions of people in the world, yet she had the privilege of meeting a blonde with killer dance moves, a boy with killer lyrics and a brunette with a killer voice. She met her family and she doesn't give a damn what anyone back in Lima thinks.

Ten year reunions are stupid anyway.


	3. Elbelleee23

**A/N: A prize for Elbellee23 who requested a one-shot with Quinn looking in from the outside as the Glee club has moved on from Baby Gate and everything, where Puck is happy with Rachel and Finn has moved on but Quinn is still lost and unsure and can't trust anyone. I hope this is okay!**

* * *

><p>She can still remember the feeling of being on the top of the pyramid, and the way she felt so powerful as the crowd parted for her as she walked down the hallway. She remembers the way her cheerleading skirt felt against her legs, and she can still remember how many times she had to twist her hair tie to make sure her ponytail would stay tight.<p>

She can still remember the way Santana didn't dare to disobey her because she was the HBIC, and she can still remember the way Brittany smiled at her when she'd bring her in a donut as a special treat.

She can still remember when she was the centre of their world... when Finn looked at her like she was an angel gracing him with her presence... when Puck looked at her like she hung the moon and all the stars.

She still remembers Quinn Fabray, the head cheerleader with the world at her feet, and it kills her inside because she doesn't recognise the person she's become.

She used to be a role model – the girl everyone wanted to be – and now she's just another teen statistic. She's the slut that got knocked up at 16; the one who gave her baby away without even blinking.

She used to be extraordinary, but now she's nothing.

They used to breathe her name with reverence, and now their eyes look straight through her.

It doesn't matter that she's lost Finn. It doesn't matter that she's alone. It doesn't matter that she's paying her dues for the mistakes she's made. It doesn't matter that she's lost the baby weight. It doesn't matter that she's wearing the cheerleading uniform again. It doesn't matter that she signed on the dotted line and had her daughter removed from her life forever.

They still look straight through her, and the worst part is Glee club, the one place that was supposed to love her even when she hates herself, are starting to see straight through her too.

* * *

><p>So there's Glee.<p>

They rallied around her whilst she was pregnant, but now that the bump is gone, it's as if they don't believe she needs them anymore.

She remembers how she used to sit and watch while she was pregnant because some of the dance routines were too much, and she never thought she'd wish to be pregnant again, but she does. While she sat and watched, the club constantly kept an eye on her, as if terrified she'd break, but now they just expect her to do her part and don't even pause to ask how she's dealing with everything.

She watches as Rachel learns how to be a team player, and realizes that Santana is head over heels in love with Brittany, even if the Latina doesn't realize it herself yet. She watches Finn and Rachel sing duets and feels nauseous while watching them, and watches another love triangle play out before her eyes, although Rachel's the star this time instead of her.

She's just like everyone else in the club, except she does it all from her seat in the back corner of the room.

Her opinions used to matter. Glee used to care about what she had to say, and they would actively seek out her approval or comments before making decisions. Now it's as if they feel like post-pregnancy Quinn doesn't need to be asked; almost as if they had only ever asked her so that she would feel needed.

She sits and watches as the space she used to occupy is slowly filled. Her space alongside Brittany and Santana is slowly filled by Rachel, of all people, as the two cheerleaders start to appreciate the mellower Rachel that has appeared now that she's friends with Puck. She watches her spot in Puck's heart dwindle until it's all _Rachel _and she struggles to swallow the venomous words that threaten to pour out of her mouth. She watches as Finn realizes that being with Rachel makes him happier than he ever was with her.

She has no idea how Rachel Berry became the new Quinn Fabray and she became the person that sits on the outside, but that's just her life now.

* * *

><p>And there's Puck.<p>

He's the boy that was never supposed to mean anything to her. He was supposed to stay in the background and remain content by just being Finn's best friend. He was never, ever supposed to rock the boat, but that's what he did. Being a teenage girl, she had the same cardinal attraction to Puck that every other girl in the school had, but unlike every other teenage girl at McKinley, she knew that no good could come from tangling with Puck.

Noah Puckerman was never supposed to be a blip on her radar.

She was more than happy with Finn, and although she felt a pang of jealously when she saw Puck with Santana, she pushed it aside. She liked commitment and the promise of forever, not the lure of a bad boy who would inevitably wind up in prison, leaving her all alone with a heart that was damaged beyond repair.

She's learnt that boys always screw everything up, and Puck did just that. He wasn't content being a minor character; he wanted to be the lead. He reassured her when her boyfriend didn't, and made her feel like she was still desirable. He had her favourite wine coolers in his room and he pressed his lips against hers ever so softly and if her heart hadn't already been filled with Finn, she would have loved him for being so sweet and caring. Her heart _was _filled with Finn though, and Puck just wasn't enough. He wasn't tall enough, he wasn't popular enough, he wasn't nice enough... he wasn't Finn and he never would be.

He continued to try and get her to fall in love with him, and she tried to hold onto Finn and her perfect fairytale romance, but despite that, she was close to loving him more than a few times. He gave her money for the baby, and looked at her with adoration in his eyes, and if she knew what was good for her, she would have told Finn the truth and accepted Puck's help.

She didn't know what was good for her though, and she treated him like he wasn't in the same league as her. She treated him like he was beneath her and didn't deserve to be in her presence, because this wasn't supposed to be his baby. There wasn't supposed to be a baby at all, but if it was going to be anyone's, she would want it to be Finn's.

She used to lie in Finn's bed at night, staring at the roof as if it held all the answers to her problems. She needed to know why one boy didn't love her enough, and why one boy loved her too much, and why she couldn't have stayed strong and not got herself into this mess, but she never received any divine intervention.

Instead, the truth came out like she always knew it would, and she needed Puck more than she ever needed anyone before, and he was there for her, in every single way she asked. She had kept pushing him away until she needed him but he still came back because he loved her.

He let her live in his house and he snuck her bacon whenever she was really craving it. He held her hand and acted like her boyfriend because she needed protection from the rest of the school. He didn't pressure her for anything more, but stopped his cougar habit and restrained from hooking up with any cheerleaders. He placed his hand on her stomach when he thought she was asleep and looked at her like she hung the stars, but there was something missing. Something she was never able to place until the day Beth was born.

When she saw him standing outside the nursery looking in on their daughter, she finally realized what was missing. He didn't truly love her, not like he thought he did, or like she wanted him too. He loved her because she gave him Beth, but she would never be anything more than his Baby Mama.

Their relationship fizzled from that point because she knew he deserved better than settling with someone he didn't truly love, and even after all that time, most of her heart still belonged to Finn.

She can see as she sits in Glee that he's happy now. He's more comfortable in his own skin, and more comfortable to be identified as one of those kids in Glee. He's become the man he never really thought he could be, and although she'd like to pretend that's on her, she knows it's because of Rachel.

He may not realize it yet, and she's sure that Rachel doesn't either, but the two of them are going to end up together. His face lights up whenever she's around and he looks at her like she's the only thing he can see. She knows that she isn't the only one that's noticed it (even Finn, who is more than a little oblivious to these things, knows that something is up) but she knows she's the only one who's realized that Rachel returns his feelings. The diva acts like herself around him, and he manages to calm her down while still encouraging her to achieve her goals, and if that isn't a match made in Jewish Heaven, she doesn't know what is.

Rachel will move to New York and Puck will follow, and she'll be left in Lima, always wondering what would have happened if she had opened her heart and taken a chance on Noah Puckerman.

* * *

><p>And then there's Finn.<p>

He's the boy she loved more than anything else in the world. No matter how many people believe she was a heartless bitch for hurting him, she truly did care. She may not have shown it, but she's like every other teenage girl. Finn was always the last thing on her mind as she fell asleep and the first thing on her mind when she woke up.

Finn Hudson was supposed to be her happily ever after.

She had always believed in fairytales and Prince Charming, and the second she saw Finn's dorky smile, she was hooked. She was supposed to marry him, and have children with him, and spend the rest of her life in Lima, not caring that she hadn't escaped because she had _him_.

All it took was a drunken mistake for that to disappear. She felt fat, and one of the other cheerleaders had fallen from the pyramid and she was getting blamed for it, and Finn didn't seem interested in her anymore – all she wanted was to feel like she was the centre of _someone's _universe. She knew it was a mistake the second Puck's lips touched hers, and she felt dirty afterwards, but no matter how many times she scrubbed at her skin, she couldn't get rid of his smell, or the feel of his fingers tracing her skin reverently.

The lies that stemmed from that were just last-ditch attempts to hold onto her fairytale.

She knew that as soon as Finn found out (and he would find out) they'd be over, and she'd be thrown out of his house, and she'd be well and truly alone, because Puck just wasn't an option for her (it was always, always supposed to be Finn).

So she lied, and treated Finn like dirt so that he'd be so busy worrying about her and the baby that he'd have no time for Rachel, and definitely no time to work out the truth.

And at night, she closed her eyes and prayed – prayed that God would finally get her message and fix _everything _because she just wouldn't be able to cope if what she had left shattered like everything else in her life.

Finn found out though (from Rachel Berry of all people) and the fragile balance she had been maintaining disappeared, leaving her standing amongst fallen glass, unable to move for fear of being cut.

The baby is gone now, but she still has to sit and watch as Finn's eyes slide past her and land on Rachel. She struggles to remember the smile that used to stretch across his face when he saw her, back when she was still the most important thing in his world. She has to watch the way his eyes trail over Rachel's body when they sing together and she doesn't have the right to say anything anymore because she isn't his girlfriend, just the _bitch _who broke his heart.

She watches as he slowly recovers from the betrayal until he can stand to be in the same room as Puck without punching him in the face. She watches as he smiles at Rachel in the same way he used to smile at her, and then watches as that smile grows more intimate and emotional than it ever was when it was directed as her. She watches as he tries to be a leader, and feels his failures as if they are her own. She knows that he hates being so flighty and immature, and she knows that he wishes he didn't need to be popular, and she bites her tongue to refrain from saying anything as he attempts to put all his efforts into his school work and Glee so that he'll be good enough to follow Rachel to New York.

She watches as he slowly realizes that Puck's in love with Rachel and that Rachel returns his feelings on some deeper level that she can't control. She watches as he bows out gracefully and steps aside so that his ex-best friend and his now ex-girlfriend can be happy together.

She watches as he learns to stop loving Rachel and to start loving himself, and her heart pangs because he performed the same trick on her.

He learnt how to stop loving her completely, and that's what hurts the most really. Not the pain of carrying a baby, or the pain that racked her body as she gave birth to Beth, or that pang in her heart whenever she thinks of her daughter... the thing that hurts the most was watching as Finn stopped loving her, knowing all the while that she would never be able to turn off her feelings completely, no matter how hard she tried.

Hurting him was her biggest mistake. If she ever had a child in high school, it was supposed to be baby Drizzle. It was supposed to be _their _baby and the start of _their _family, but instead she had Beth and inflicted a whole world of pain on people whose only mistake was to love her.

* * *

><p>Glee club has recovered from Baby Gate. They smile more and are slower to anger. They've become the family Mr. Schue always wanted them to be as she sits there on the outside and watches.<p>

She used to be Quinn Fabray, the centre of their universe, and now she's just Quinn. She wears a cheerleading uniform and stands tall on the top of the pyramid, and there's Sam Evans, the new boy who just joined Glee, who seems a little interested in her but there are also whispers of slut behind her back, and the word Beth dropped into conversation when she's around, and there are stretch marks on her stomach that are permanent proof of all the mistakes she made.

She's like every other high school student now. She has good days where someone smiles at her or sits next to her at lunch, and she has bad days where someone says a snide remark or ignores her even though she's standing right next to them. The crowd hesitates before they part for her, and sometimes she has to elbow people to remind them that they're supposed to respect her, but that's just part of her life now.

She's just Quinn now, and she misses Quinn Fabray more than anything.


	4. justtoogleeky36

**A/N: Prize prompt fill for justtoogleeky36. The prompt was _"She's done with being the one that everyone blames and she's done with being the one who gets pushed around. It's time for her to bite back"_**

**Hope this is okay!**

* * *

><p>She thought that after the mess of a year they had - what with pregnancy drama's and boyfriend swaps - that their second year in Glee would inevitably get better. She thought that Glee club would become the family she had always wanted it to be, and in a way, her dream came true...<p>

...She just didn't expect to be the one left on the outside.

She didn't expect her epic relationship with Finn Hudson to crumble so quickly and she definitely didn't expect the former golden couple to reunite. She also didn't expect the abuse she previously received to continue growing until it became a common part of every single Glee rehearsal.

She thought they had finally grown to love both her and her voice, and embrace her kookiness, but when she returned from the summer holidays, she found that everything got a million times worse, and she had no one to defend her.

She never thought she would have wished for the pre-Glee days but every night before she falls asleep, she begs for everything to go back to the way it was before New Directions existed.

* * *

><p>It starts off small enough. Santana makes some off-handed remark about her skirt and the club laughs. She joins in with the laughter because even she admits that the comment was kind of funny and she begrudgingly accepts that this wasn't the best outfit choice, especially not for the first day back at school.<p>

She knew she should have worn that black skirt Noah seems so fond of but she choose the cream one, which just makes it more upsetting when Quinn accidently tips her slushy cup over and doesn't pick it up in time to stop the green ice from staining her skirt.

It was an accident though because Quinn loves Glee and would never openly hurt a team member like that.

(She ignores the high-five Santana and Quinn share as they leave practice).

* * *

><p>It's a Wednesday when Kurt cancels their shopping plans. He's got too much homework, and he apologised, so they make plans to go next week. She doesn't mind really, because her wardrobe needs reorganising and she really should make some more cookies for the AV club to thank them for their lighting help with the newest Glee performance.<p>

She stops off at the mall after school anyway because she needs to grab the ingredients for her famous sugar cookies, and she's happily walking back to her car with her bags of groceries when she hears a familiar laugh coming from the local coffee shop.

She doesn't go over and say hello because Kurt looks really busy with Mercedes and Quinn and she doesn't really want to interrupt. He must have finished with his homework early and didn't want to bother her, so he called Mercedes because she lives down the street, and Quinn just tagged along.

He obviously wasn't trying to hurt her, because they'd become so much closer recently.

(It doesn't stop her from crying herself to sleep that night).

* * *

><p>She sings lead at Sectionals and they tie for first place. It's enough to get them through to the next round and she's satisfied with it, because although the song she sung lead on was catchy and upbeat, the group number was a little lacklustre and the choreography was a bit of a mess.<p>

On the bus journey back, Santana sits next to her, and Quinn and Brittany slide into the seats behind her.

"You were sharp on one of the verses", Santana begins, "make sure it doesn't happen again"

She doesn't defend herself because Santana's just upset they didn't win outright and is merely trying to take out her frustrations. Besides, she knows she was perfect, and it doesn't matter what Santana Lopez thinks.

"And during the group number, you stepped too far to one side, which knocked off the whole routine", Quinn adds, "so really Man-Hands, it's your fault we didn't snare first today"

"But... you said we did win San", Brittany says softly from her place next to Quinn.

"We tied for first Britt, and Ru-Pauls stuff-ups were the only thing that kept us from snaring the first place trophy", Quinn interjects, her voice vicious.

"Make sure you're better for the next competition Berry, or I'll make sure you don't have the lead", Santana threatens before the three cheerleaders gracefully slide off of their chairs and walk to the back of the bus.

She ignores that sinking feeling in her chest because it's so great to see Quinn and Santana finally caring about Glee.

* * *

><p>"Rachel, can you put together a presentation on fundraising to show Principal Figgins?" Mr. Schue asks after a Thursday practice. "We really need his help so that we can start raising money for bus trips and costumes"<p>

She nods her agreement and goes straight home to start working on it. She ignores all of her homework so she can finish the presentation and when it's done, she shows her dad's proudly.

They smile at her fondly and congratulate her for doing such a professional job, as well as encouraging her to show it to Mr. Schue so that he can make any final suggestions before speaking to Principal Figgins.

Mr. Schue just takes the USB she hands him and thanks her, and doesn't bring it up again. When she asks him what he thought a couple of weeks later, he hands her back the USB and says it went down a treat with Principal Figgins and he's going to be more supportive of their fundraising efforts in the future.

She tells her dad's what happened and ignores their frowns of disapproval. Mr. Schue didn't use her – he merely wanted to speak to Principal Figgins as soon as possible and he felt that there would be a higher chance of success if she wasn't present.

She's just happy that Glee is finally going to be able to raise the necessary money.

* * *

><p>She and Noah are friends – in fact, he's probably her closest friend in the club, so when he comes to her with a favour, she's more than happy to oblige.<p>

Or, she was happy to oblige until she found out what he wanted, but by then it was too late, because she'd already promised that she'd help.

In the grand scheme of things, it really isn't that much of a deal. All he wants is for her to come over on Sunday night and pretend that they're dating so that his mum gets off his back about dating a nice, respectable Jewish girl.

He tells her that it'll be good practice for her future on Broadway, and even though she hates lying, Noah is her friend and he needs help.

The dinner goes off without a hitch and Aviva Puckerman loves her, even saying that she's welcome at the house anytime, and she feels so comfortable in the family home. She hopes that Noah will invite her back again because she loves his mum and his little sister and they seemed to like her.

So, a couple of weeks later when Noah tells her that he's going to tell his mum that they've broken up and that she broke his heart, her own heart aches because Aviva Puckerman is never going to welcome her back now.

(She pushes away the feeling that she's been used because this is Noah and he would never do something like that to her).

* * *

><p>"Treasure-Trail, never, ever wear that skirt again, understand?" Santana growls as she walks into Glee one afternoon. "God, it makes me want to tear out my own eyes just to stop looking at it"<p>

She throws the skirt away that afternoon when she gets home.

* * *

><p>"Rachel, I need some help with my maths homework. I've got a huge test coming up and if I fail, Quinn's going to kill me".<p>

So she helps Finn with his maths homework because they're in Glee club together and friends always help friends.

* * *

><p>"Man-Hands, I need you to find me a song to sing. It's Britt's birthday and she likes Disney movies and I figured that you probably have a bunch of sheet music printed off already"S<p>

he finds Santana the perfect song because Brittany deserves to have the most magical birthday ever. Santana gives her a rare smile as thanks and the little fluttery feeling in her chest starts to grow.

So when Santana interrupts her when she's trying to talk about song selection, calling her annoying and overbearing, she feels like she's been kicked in the stomach.

* * *

><p>It's been two months and one week since Finn and Quinn got back together and one month and three days since she stopped pursuing Finn. A part of her will always belong to him but she's tired of fighting for something that was never really hers.<p>

The only person that doesn't seem to get that she's over Finn Hudson is Quinn Fabray, and she seems intent on torturing her until she gets the point.

She's talking to Finn before Glee one afternoon about song selections and choreography because even if they aren't together anymore, they're still co-captains of Glee when Quinn comes storming over, her eyes flashing.

"Stay away from my boyfriend Man Hands, or there will be trouble. Get it?"

"Quinn, I assure you that Finn and I are merely friends and we are simply talking about music selection for the upcoming competition. I admit that my previous actions make it seem like I am interested in more than friendship, but I promise you I'm not trying to steal Finn"

"You think you'd be able to steal Finn from me? God Rachel, have you seen yourself? Why the hell would Finn leave me for you? Your nose is too big for the rest of your face, your fashion sense is appalling, you're practically a dwarf and on top of all of that, you are a total loser", she hisses, her eyes narrowing in anger. "I'm going to ask you one last time – stay away from my boyfriend before you embarrass yourself even more"

"Quinn..."

"He doesn't want you Rachel! He's with me and that's how it's going to stay! If you were so great and special, he would have forgiven you for kissing Puck but instead, he forgave me. He chose me. Just face facts Rachel – he doesn't want you; he was only ever with you because he felt sorry for you"

"Finn... is that true?" she asks softly, her eyes wide with disbelief.

"Finn, think about your answer before you open your mouth. If you want to stay on my good side, you know what to do", Quinn spits, her voice harsh.

"I'm sorry Rachel", Finn answers, his eyes begging her to forgive him while his mouth betrays her and everything they ever had between them.

She can't take this anymore.

* * *

><p>They don't place in the top ten at Nationals. Quinn and Finn sung the duet and the group number was an original song that she wrote herself, so she feels awful when they don't place.<p>

The club is quick to let her know that it's her fault.

"Someone remind me why we let Berry write our song", Santana demands as soon as they're back on the bus.

"God Rachel, I remember Santana telling you to up your game, not screw everything up", Quinn adds.

Mr. Schue half-heartedly tells them to stop, but they just ignore him.

"Rach... you really shouldn't have written the song if you didn't think it was good enough to win Nationals", Finn says softly, his tone sympathetic.

"She shouldn't have had anything to do with our Nationals routine", Quinn hisses.

"You should have realized that after you saw her suggestions for the costumes", Kurt interjects. "It's almost as if she wanted us to lose"

"Just shut up!" she screams. "I've had enough of the way you guys treat me"

"Rachel, it's not all about you. They're just upset and trying to talk over what went wrong so they can fix it for next year", Mr. Schue says warningly, his eyes flashing with what looks like anger.

"I said shut up!", she yells again. "I'm speaking now and you are all going to listen to me". She's done with being the one that everyone blames and she's done with being the one who gets pushed around. It's time for her to bite back. "I'm sick and tired of being used by this club when it needs me and blamed for every single little thing that goes wrong"

"Rachel, just calm down", Mr. Schue says soothingly.

"Stop interrupting!" she screeches, her eyes flashing with anger. "Do you want to know why we lost Nationals?" she questions, talking the stunned silence as a yes. "Finn and Quinn sound awful when they sing together, and they have no chemistry. Quinn looks like its painful singing with him because she lacks the acting ability to pretend that she likes being around him! Finn's idea of a loving expression looked like he was desperate for the toilet, so I'm not surprised the judges weren't blown away by us, and our group number was dismal at best. The vocals were great, but I have no idea what the hell happened with the choreography. Kurt, at one point, you missed a section of the routine because you were too busy looking at that cute boy in the front row, and Santana, when you reached for Brittany's hand, you almost hit Artie in the face, yet you all have the audacity to blame me for not placing?"

"Rachel, I'm warning you" Mr. Schue interjects.

"I'm not finished", she growls. "When you aren't too busy blaming me for every little mistake, you're using me"

"Rachel, that's enough!"

"I'm. Not. Finished", she hisses. "I help you with your maths homework, and I help you find songs to woo each other with. I pretend to date you so that your mother will be happy. I bend over backwards to help this club and all I get in return is abuse! Do you think I don't know that Kurt cancels our plans to hang out with Mercedes and Quinn? Do you think I don't know that you all laugh at me behind my back? Do you think I don't know that you use me for my voice or my academic ability or even my organisational skills?"

"Rachel, sit down now. You have no right to abuse the club like this", Mr. Schue cuts across her, his eyes wide and shocked.

"I have no right? I have no right? You're just as bad as the rest of them Mr. Schue, but at least they know that they are horrible, manipulative people. At least they don't pretend that they're perfect and that they've never done anything wrong"

She takes her seat before Mr. Schue starts yelling again (he looks like he's about two seconds away from collapsing in shock) and looks around at the stunned faces. All of them are peering back at her, all with various degrees of horror and surprise – except for Santana, who looks proud.

"About time Berry", Santana teases, "we'll make something out of you yet"

* * *

><p>The rest of the bus journey is quiet. No one dares to say anything in case she explodes again and she relishes the silence. It's about time someone called them out on their actions, and if Mr. Schue was refusing to be the voice of reason, she was more than happy to step up and fulfill the role. The rest of the club only dare to speak as they get off the bus in the McKinley High car park, and all of them - even Quinn - stop by her chair to say a hasty apology for blaming her for their loss at Nationals.<p>

Not all of them apologise for the stuff they've done before, but the guilty look in their eyes is good enough. She just wanted them to _know _that they've done something wrong and realize that they shouldn't do it again.

And the apologies she receives as they all get off the bus? They feel better than she ever imagined. She knows they have a long way to go but she thinks that they made the first step on the road to friendship today.


End file.
